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Baltimore County vs Montgomery County, MD Building Permit Fees (2026)

Baltimore County and Montgomery County are both Maryland counties with no statewide percentage levy, but they price permits very differently. Baltimore County uses flat, area-based fees - a deck is $85, residential solar is $79, a fence is $25. Montgomery prices new construction and alterations per square foot at $0.767865 and $0.681345 plus a filing fee, and sets higher flat fees for discrete projects. Across every common residential project we can compare directly, Baltimore County is the lower fee.

Key Takeaways
  • Baltimore County prices common residential projects as flat area-based fees; Montgomery prices new construction at $0.767865/sq ft and alterations at $0.681345/sq ft, plus a filing fee, with higher flat fees for discrete projects.
  • A deck is a flat $85 in Baltimore County (up to 600 sq ft) vs a flat $194.67 in Montgomery (up to 500 sq ft) - more than double.
  • Residential solar is $79 in Baltimore vs $227.12 in Montgomery; a fence is $25 vs $77.87; a small shed is $85 (up to 1,000 sq ft) vs $118.96 (up to 200 sq ft). Baltimore is lower on each.
  • New construction is not directly comparable: Baltimore's residential Category D lists a $231 minimum but does not publish a per-square-foot rate for one- and two-family homes, while Montgomery's $0.767865/sq ft plus filing fee reaches $2,764.32 on a 2,400 sq ft house.
  • Neither county adds a statewide Maryland levy, and neither itemizes a percentage technology fee on these residential lines.
  • Both schedules carry source-age caveats: Baltimore County's is dated 2018 (the older of the two) and Montgomery's published DPS schedule carries an FY2022 printed date - confirm current rates with each county.
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Baltimore County vs Montgomery: Fee Structure Side by Side

Fee Element Baltimore County Montgomery County (DPS)
Fee model Flat, area-based fees Per square foot + filing-fee floor
Deck $85 (≤600 sq ft) $194.67 (≤500 sq ft)
Residential solar $79 flat $227.12 flat
Fence $25 flat $77.87 flat
Shed / accessory $85 (≤1,000 sq ft) $118.96 (≤200 sq ft)
New 1-2 family home $231 min (per-SF rate not published) $0.767865/sq ft + 50% filing
Technology fee None None (optional 25% expedited review)
State levy None (Maryland) None (Maryland)
Fee schedule effective Nov 26, 2018 (verify current) Printed FY2022 (verify current)

Scope note: Both counties' figures are the building-permit side only. Trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical), impact and excise charges on new homes, and zoning approvals are excluded from both. Baltimore County rounds permit fees up to the nearest dollar and does not publish a residential per-square-foot rate (only a $231 Category D minimum), so a new-home total is not directly comparable to Montgomery's. Both schedules carry source-age caveats - Baltimore's dated 2018, Montgomery's FY2022.

Shared-Assumption Worked Examples

Each example assumes the same project for both counties.

Example 1: Deck (under 500 sq ft)

Fee Component Baltimore County Montgomery County
Building permit fee $85.00 flat (≤600 sq ft) $194.67 flat (≤500 sq ft)
State levy $0.00 $0.00
Total $85.00 $194.67

Note: Baltimore's deck is a flat $85 up to 600 sq ft ($119 above that); Montgomery's is a flat $194.67 for decks 500 sq ft or under (above that, $0.767865/sq ft). Deck electrical is a separate trade permit in both counties.

Example 2: Residential Solar

Fee Component Baltimore County Montgomery County
Building permit fee $79.00 flat $227.12 flat
State levy $0.00 $0.00
Total $79.00 $227.12

Note: Both figures are the building permit for a rooftop residential solar system. The electrical interconnection is a separate trade permit in both counties. Baltimore's $79 is well under a third of Montgomery's $227.12.

Example 3: New Detached House, 2,400 sq ft (not directly comparable)

Fee Component Baltimore County Montgomery County
Building permit fee $231 minimum (per-SF rate not published) 2,400 × $0.767865 = $1,842.88
Filing fee (included in category fee) $921.44 (50% of permit)
Total (building-permit side) from $231 (not comparable) $2,764.32

Note: These are not directly comparable. Baltimore County's residential Category D lists a $231 minimum but does not publish a per-square-foot rate for one- and two-family homes, so the true Baltimore new-home fee cannot be computed from the schedule. Montgomery's $2,764.32 is fully computable. Both counties assess large separate impact, excise, and school facility charges on new homes, excluded here. Confirm the Baltimore residential rate with PAI before relying on it.

Which County Is Cheaper for Your Project?

Scenario Lower Fee Why
Deck Baltimore ($85 vs $194.67) Baltimore's flat $85 is well below Montgomery's flat $194.67
Residential solar Baltimore ($79 vs $227.12) Baltimore's flat solar fee is under a third of Montgomery's
Fence / small shed Baltimore ($25 / $85) Lower flat fees, and Baltimore's shed band runs to 1,000 sq ft
New house Not directly comparable Baltimore lists only a $231 residential minimum, no per-SF rate
Source currency Neither is recent Baltimore 2018 and Montgomery FY2022 - confirm current rates with both

Practitioner Insight

On the everyday residential projects homeowners actually pull permits for - decks, solar, fences, sheds - Baltimore County is consistently the cheaper of the two, often by more than half. The reason is structural: Baltimore's flat area-based fees were set low and cover broad size bands (an $85 deck up to 600 sq ft, an $85 accessory structure up to 1,000 sq ft), while Montgomery's flat fees are higher and its size bands tighter. Where the comparison breaks down is new construction: Baltimore County's published schedule gives only a $231 Category D minimum for one- and two-family homes and never prints the per-square-foot rate, so you cannot compute a real new-home fee from it - Montgomery's $0.767865/sq ft schedule is fully transparent there. The bigger caveat for both is age. Baltimore County's fee PDF is dated November 2018 - over seven years old - and Montgomery's carries an FY2022 printed date. Both are the versions each county currently serves, but confirm current rates before you budget: Baltimore County PAI at 410-887-3900 and Montgomery County DPS at 240-777-0311.

Frequently Asked Questions

Baltimore County is lower on every common residential project we can compare directly. A deck is $85 in Baltimore vs $194.67 in Montgomery; residential solar is $79 vs $227.12; a fence is $25 vs $77.87. Baltimore's flat area-based fees are well below Montgomery's flat fees and per-square-foot rates. New construction is not directly comparable, because Baltimore does not publish a residential per-square-foot rate.
Baltimore County's residential Category D lists a $231 minimum for one- and two-family new construction but does not print the per-square-foot rate that drives the fee above that minimum. Without that rate, a real new-home fee cannot be computed from the schedule. Montgomery's $0.767865/sq ft rate plus a 50% filing fee is fully computable ($2,764.32 for a 2,400 sq ft house), so we flag the new-home row as not directly comparable rather than implying a misleading number.
Neither county adds a statewide Maryland levy - Maryland has no equivalent of Virginia's 2% USBC levy. Neither itemizes a percentage technology fee on these residential lines. Montgomery offers an optional 25% expedited plan review if you need faster turnaround, but it is not a mandatory add-on.
A Baltimore County deck permit is $85 versus Montgomery's $194.67 - about 56% lower. Residential solar is $79 versus $227.12 - about 65% lower. Baltimore's flat fees also cover wider size bands (the $85 deck runs to 600 sq ft, versus Montgomery's 500 sq ft cap before per-square-foot pricing kicks in).
Neither is recent. Baltimore County's published fee PDF is dated November 26, 2018 - over seven years old and the older of the two. Montgomery County's DPS schedule carries an FY2022 printed date. Both are the versions each county currently serves, but confirm current rates before relying on them. See the Baltimore County and Montgomery County pages for full detail.

Sources

Official Sources
Next Step

See each county's full fee page, or compare more Maryland jurisdictions.

Verify current fees with each county before budgeting or filing. Baltimore County Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections (PAI): 410-887-3900 (2018 schedule). Montgomery County DPS: 240-777-0311 (FY2022 printed schedule). Confirm current rates with both.
Disclaimer: All fee information on PermitPrice is informational only and not an official permit quotation. Actual fees are determined by each county at the time of application. Baltimore County does not publish a residential per-square-foot rate, so its new-home fee is not directly comparable. Impact, excise, and school facility charges and trade permits are excluded from the figures on this page. Both schedules carry source-age caveats.

Written by: Munib Ur Rehman

Data verified against official fee schedule documents.